£208k of illegal vapes and cigarettes recovered in Bournemouth

Just under 32kg of illegal tobacco, 145,740 cigarettes, over 7,600 unregulated vapes and over 10kg of illicit shisha were seized from parts of the town. 

In total, everything taken across 12 off licences in the town centre, Wallisdown, Winton and Boscombe had a street value of around £208,000 - a record for the BCP area.

The first two targeted raids by BCP Council’s Trading Standards, HMRC and Dorset Police took place back in March at eight locations in the town centre, Wallisdown and Winton. 

From these, 18.7kg of rolling tobacco, 89,600 illegal cigarettes, 5,165 vapes and 10.35kg of shisha were recovered, worth around £130,000. 

(Image: BCP Council)

Most of the cigarettes seized on this occasion were located in a vehicle outside one of the premises. 

Then in May, two more shops in the town centre were targeted, with officers seizing 6.8kg of rolling tobacco, 36,980 cigarettes and 1,279 unregulated vapes with a street value totalling £45,688, with some of the haul also located in nearby vehicles associated with the premises. 

And then in early July, the focus was turned to Boscombe where more than 6kg of hand rolling tobacco, 19,160 cigarettes and 1,170 vapes were seized at three off licences with the help of a sniffer dog. 

Sophie Sajic, head of public protection at BCP Council, said: “This latest seizure not only highlights the vast quantities of illegal tobacco, cigarettes and vapes coming into our communities for sale, but also the sophisticated lengths individuals are taking to conceal them and avoid detection.” 

Sophie Sajic, head of public protection for BCP Council (Image: Newsquest)

Over 12 months, BCP’s Trading Standards team has removed a total of 16,215 illegal vapes, 245,560 cigarettes and over 67kg of hand rolling tobacco from sale across the three towns, worth a staggering £395,673. 

Sophie added: “Over the past few months, we’ve uncovered hidden storage rooms disguised as walls and shelves on shop floors secured by electro-magnets, where in some cases, they have been laced with coffee grounds and onions in a bid to confuse and outsmart tobacco detection dogs when a premises is searched.” 

Cabinet member for regulatory services Kieron Wilson described the efforts as a “big statement on how seriously the council, HMRC and Dorset Police take this issue”. 

He said: “We’ll continue to carry out visits to premises across our community and come down hard on those breaking the law, especially with the health and safety risks that items such as these pose, particularly to the younger members of our society. 

“I’d like to recognise the fantastic work of our Trading Standards Team who continue to work tirelessly across the conurbation with our partners to remove illegal tobacco products and vapes from our streets. 

“Their dedication and expertise is helping make Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole safer for everyone, and this latest seizure of goods highlights how they are having to stay ahead of the different methods people are taking to hide these items in their premises.”